Australia proposes solar panel installation fee to fund recycling

Australia is grappling with an escalating issue of rooftop solar panel waste, as the number of installations surges. Currently, only 17 percent of these panels are recycled, prompting calls for a national solution.

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Currently there is no framework around product stewardship for solar panels.

The Australian Academy of Technological Sciences & Engineering (ATSE) has proposed a product stewardship scheme. This would shift the responsibility and cost to manufacturers, importers, and consumers, funded by an additional installation fee of $10 to $20 per panel. ATSE's acting CEO, Peter Derbyshire, highlighted the current lack of a framework for solar panel product stewardship.

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The government remains committed to the pilot.

While a pilot program for national solar panel recycling was announced for mid-2026, its procurement is not yet complete, according to the Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water. This delay raises concerns about addressing the growing waste stream.

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At the moment, solar panel waste is about one fifth of 1 per cent of the solid waste stream in Australia.

Australia generates approximately 60,000 tonnes of solar panel waste annually, a figure projected to reach 90,000 tonnes by 2030. However, some experts, like Australian National University's Professor Andrew Blakers, argue that solar panel waste is a relatively small component of the overall waste stream. He noted that about 90 percent of a panel is glass, which is inexpensive and safe, and the entire panel is comparable to a car's windscreen in its composition.

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Glass is an incredibly cheap and safe waste material.